Thanks to the EU there aren't any software patents.

I kinda love how the US version just has a finger lopped off there. I can think of another one-fingered gesture I'll bet would have been amazing to use.

In any event, my money's on this getting stealthily enabled on the droid in no time. And frankly, I'm hoping it does. If Apple has a patent on pinch-zoom multi-touch functionality, I'm sorely worried - it's probably one of the most useful multi-touch gestures and should be one of those things that's quickly genericized. But then, the Pre has it...so why are they being so stingy?

Everything in Android, including the browser, is open source. So it will not take "hackers" to enable it; just normal software developers. I can't imagine we would have to wait a week for someone to add this functionality.

Isn't Verizon historically known as the carrier that has always had crippled phones?

This shows the flaw of Google OS, there is no control of the hardware and what it must do. At least Apple firmly controls everything for a painless experience, an incredible 99% iPhone user satisfaction in latest survey.

Verizon's droid will not allow you to use Google maps while driving if you are on the phone, so if you are about to make a turn somewhere in an unfamiliar area and get a phone call you are instantly screwed.

Verizon's Droid also has only a 512 MB area for executable applications and a limit of only six open applications running. Remember the pain of Windows Mobile when you tried to open too many apps as it always left them running even after you finished with them?

Now with this crippled feature of no multi touch how can any of the great multi touch games for the iPhone be easily ported to Verizon's Droid?

Will they ever be?

I doubt it.

4phun...

"This shows the flaw of Google OS, there is no control of the hardware and what it must do."
This is not a flaw at all for the Google OS. This is called portability; which SHOULD be a primary concern when producing almost any form of software.

"Remember the pain of Windows Mobile when you tried to open too many apps as it always left them running even after you finished with them?"
WTF is Windows Mobile? Is the Droid running Windows now? Is Droid automatically a Microsoft product because it isn't running an Apple OS?

"Verizon's Droid also has only a 512 MB area for executable applications and a limit of only six open applications running."
I've developed applications on Android and can assure you that the framework used on Android is clearly designed to run on a device with very little memory. They under clocked the CPU for christ sake. I'm pretty sure they knew what they were doing.

Isn't this a leftover policy from the Google/Apple cabal? I thought they had a gentlemen's agreement not to employ multitouch when android phones first came out on Tmobile.

Every one of my Verizon cell phones has had one feature or another crippled by Verizon. (Most often bluetooth features.) I'm not surprised that they continue to do so on the Droid. The Verizon RAZR3 had the front touch buttons remapped to Verizon's music store when everyone else had the ability to read an incoming text without having to flip it open...

well.. thanks dude, for the valuable questions...
yahh... dis are dere business strategies.. but seems like a shaky start!.... fearing abt the sue...
it wount b easy to take over the iPhone's place..
dey have to take sme risky steps..
http://www.buyergen.com

lol.

@4phun: Historically Verizon has limited features on phones, yes. But, they stated they will not be limiting anything on the Droids. So no issues there.

OS's control the hardware, as in providing instructions to them. Not sure what you're talking about here, but perhaps u can explain further.

Mind citing your reference for the 99% User Satisfaction? I've never heard of ANY CSat that high, ever. Would love to see that.

RE: Google Maps. If a call comes in while u r using GM, GM will continue to run as it will have cached map data, so no, u r not screwed.

Apps actually only get to use a portion of that 512MB, somewhere around half. But mobile apps r small now, so not really a big issue, but something that will surely change in the future.

As the article states, there will be multi-touch, just not as part of the "official" release. :)

Glad u enjoy your iPhone. ;)

Verizon cripples phone to extract more revenue from their customers, plain and simple. There is no other reason for this policy!

I once had a Verizon Motorola x815 (forgot the leading letter). It had a camera but you could not get the pictures off the phone because the Bluetooth was crippled forcing customers to use Verizon's service to transmit the pictures at xx cents per picture.

So I used some Motorola Phone Tools and a Bluetooth profile downloaded from the Internet and changed the profile. The phone could now transfer the pictures to my PC using the Bluetooth connection.

This was the last phone I ever purchased from Verizon!

Verizon cripples phone to extract more revenue from their customers, plain and simple. There is no other reason for this policy!

I once had a Verizon Motorola x815 (forgot the leading letter). It had a camera but you could not get the pictures off the phone because the Bluetooth was crippled forcing customers to use Verizon's service to transmit the pictures at xx cents per picture.

So I used some Motorola Phone Tools and a Bluetooth profile downloaded from the Internet and changed the profile. The phone could now transfer the pictures to my PC using the Bluetooth connection.

That was the last phone I ever purchased from Verizon!